The Bruery One & Dunn Imperial Grand Reserve

Technical Details

Tasting Profile

A monumental imperial stout shaped by four years of successive aging across four distinct rye whiskey and bourbon barrels. The pour is jet-black and viscous, releasing aromas of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and warm bourbon. The palate unfolds in layers: molasses and toasted oak give way to rye whiskey’s earthy spice, followed by waves of vanilla, charred caramel, and bittersweet cocoa. Bourbon warmth lingers alongside hints of leather and dark fruit, while the full-bodied texture coats the tongue. A cellar-worthy collaboration originally crafted with Boulevard Brewing, built for slow, contemplative sipping.

Food Pairing

Pair with a dense flourless chocolate torte or chocolate-bourbon pecan pie, where cocoa intensity mirrors the beer’s roasted depth. Alternatively, serve alongside aged blue cheeses like Stilton with toasted walnuts and dried figs, allowing the salty funk and sweet fruit to balance the stout’s barrel-driven warmth and viscous richness.

About The Bruery

The Bruery was founded in 2008 in Placentia, California, by Patrick Rue, who cleverly merged his surname with “brewery” to create the company’s distinctive name. Operating from a 15-barrel brewhouse producing approximately 2,500 barrels annually, The Bruery has established itself as a pioneer of experimental ales crafted in the Belgian tradition. The brewery employs a proprietary Belgian yeast strain across most of its portfolio, incorporating unconventional ingredients such as coriander, bitter orange peel, lavender, and even Pediococcus and Lactobacillus bacteria to create complex flavor profiles.

The Bruery has become particularly renowned for its barrel-aging program, fermenting and maturing beers in both bourbon and wine oak barrels, and for producing exceptionally strong ales ranging from 13% to 19.5% alcohol by volume. Among its most celebrated releases is Black Tuesday, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout released annually on the last Tuesday of October. The brewery’s commitment to innovation and quality earned recognition when its Oude Tart won gold medals at both the 2010 World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival in the Belgian Style Lambic or Sour Ale category.